


After A Day's Work

by nomikkh



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Oral Sex, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:46:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28516629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nomikkh/pseuds/nomikkh
Summary: The Warrior of Light is tired of being on a pedestal, especially when it comes to a certain individual.
Relationships: Cid nan Garlond/Warrior of Light
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	After A Day's Work

**Author's Note:**

> NOTE: I haven't written anything coherent in quite a time, constructive criticism only plz and thanks. Also relatively new to FF14 lore.

It was after dark when Vex entered the workshop. It had been a long day of bartering, bargaining and straight wheedling to get the parts she now carried in a knapsack. Cid was still working on the magitek armor, of course. She was tired, feeling ill-tempered, footsore. She walked softly to the table, intending to drop off the supplies and make a quick exit to her inn room. She was irritable, and had no desire to take that out on Cid - he’d been through so much.

His jawline was set as he studied his project and luckily he didn’t see her come in. She wrenched her gaze away and set the knapsack down as quietly as she could. It wasn’t quiet enough and Cid’s head jerked around to light his gaze on her. Her tail twitched reflexively and she did her best at a smile for him.

“Ah, Vextressa!” He grinned at her, his blue-gray eyes sparkling. “My thanks. I had just reached the next stage of restoration on this machine.”

“For the last time, Cid. Its Vex.” She returned his smile but hers was a shadow. “I think I found everything.”

She hoped so. The last few weeks had been a seemingly endless procession of tasks, necessary but mind-numbing, in order to rescue their friends from the Empire. Who knew that sedition and rebellion could be so… mundane? Every time she did the next thing she received smiles and profuse thanks, but never felt they were really for her. Rather, they were for what she represented. A bearer of the Echo, a Scion of the Seventh Dawn. And sometimes she suspected looking into their faces - there would be more she would become to them in time. A symbol of success, of belief. It wore on a body.

Well, Cid had seen her so there wasn’t any point in trying to sneak out. She looked over the currently-defunct reaper and nodded to Cid. “It is looking well. You have a good team.”

“We couldn’t have done this without you,” Cid nodded, making Vex wince. She bit back a sharp reply, only glancing at him with what she hoped was warmth.

“You think too much of me. I do what anyone else would do.” She turned to leave and return to the inn.

“Vextressa?” Cid’s voice was tinged with concern. “Is there aught amiss?”

She grit her teeth.

“VEX, Cid. For the love of gods!” She turned away from him and thumped her fist on the reaper, leaning on it wearily while her tail swished angrily. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. Its been a day.”

She heard him stride across the workshop and when he spoke his voice was closer, but she didn’t turn around. “I’m sorry, _Vex_. Something is clearly bothering you, is it something I can help with? Anything you need.”

She didn’t move, still leaning on the reaper. “No, Cid. Its not.”

_At least not until you stop looking at me the way you do, like I’m a savior up in the firmament._

She was feeling extremely alone. It didn’t help that ever since Cid joined their party she’d been looking for a sign of… friendship? Or perhaps something else?… from him. But he continued to treat her with reverence, like an artifact that might break. She sighed again, even more tired now. Making to leave, she dropped her fist from the reaper, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She stiffened, bracing for more impersonal praise.

“How do you know?” There was a slight chuckle from behind her. “I don’t even know whether I can or can’t help. My memory is still returning, after all.”

She’d been too harsh with him. She wasn’t the only one in this motley crew suffering and stressed. Her shoulders slumped. He was offering to help, after everything. And no doubt he felt the pressure of being The Engineer, yet he was still insisting on helping her. Still not turning around she sighed.

“Cid… I’m just a mortal like anyone else. But now, with all these things coming down on us there’s so many eyes on me. And they see me as this kind of Paragon, someone who can do no wrong. A symbol, a bearer of the Echo. Whatever. Not a person.” She paused, not sure if she wanted to finish. “A woman.”

She felt his hand slip from her shoulder and her ears twitched in frustration. She’d shown her mortality, of course he’d retreat. But when he spoke again his voice was much closer, a whisper against her ear and both his hands gripped her arms.

“I’ve always thought of you as a woman, Vextressa. I didn’t know if that was something you wanted.” There was tension in his hands, was it from nervousness? She didn’t move.

“It is.” She spoke simply, not trusting the stability of her voice. Her head dipped down. She couldn’t look back at him.

The silence was brittle for several moments, movement halted. Then his hands gently slid up her arms to rest on her shoulders, thumbs gently massaging the muscles underneath. She wanted to turn around to look at him, see what was in those eyes of his but she was afraid to break whatever moment was happening between them. Her breath caught in her throat and she tried to stay perfectly still, only a slight twitch of an ear to betray her interior tension.

 _Please don’t leave_ , she thought desperately. He didn’t. His fingers moved to the starched collar of her shirt and pulled it aside, revealing the light blue-gray skin of her neck and right shoulder. She could feel the warmth coming from him he was standing so close, and when his lips brushed the juncture of her neck and shoulder she couldn’t stop from sucking in a breath harshly. A shiver and a bolt of electricity shot through her. “Cid…”

Except for slightly short breaths he was quiet as he traced a path along her neckline with his mouth, pausing to caress the edge of her jaw before moving back down again. His left hand snaked around her waist and pulled her against his strong form. Or rather, he used the opposing momentum of his arm to move his body closer to hers - she found herself unable to move at all.

“Do you know why I call you Vextressa?” he growled into her hair. A minuscule shake of her head prompted a low chuckle. “Your name. Its beautiful… like you. I never want to shorten it.”

He kissed her softly along the line of her shoulder until he got to the slope of her upper arm. Less gently, and with another low growl he scored her shoulder lightly with his teeth. She was drawn as tight as a bowstring but that achingly sharp sensation released her and she spun around in his arms, hands on his broad chest. His eyes were dark and she felt his hands tense on her hips as he looked at her with a hard, predatory gaze. She slid a hand up to curl her fingers in his beard for a moment before moving upwards. He winced a bit when she pushed his goggles away from his forehead and set them on the workbench, revealing his third eye.

“Don’t be afraid of it,” she whispered, almost trance-like, “I know who you are. You aren’t your heritage.”

She cupped his face with both hands and lifted herself on her toes and brushed her lips across his forehead. It was his turn to stiffen. She kissed him underneath each of his eyes. She ran a thumb along his lower lip before capturing it with her mouth. Her arms slid around his neck and she kissed him insistently, prying his mouth open with her tongue. It only took him a second to respond and his hands slid from her hips to encircle her waist. After a moment she felt herself lifted off the ground. Cid turned and set her down on the worktable to give himself better access to her mouth. His arms tightened around her as their tongues danced together. He ended the kiss after a few minutes, drawing a plaintive moan from Vex. They were both breathing heavily, and Vex could feel her blood rushing and heart pounding.

“Cid,” she whispered huskily, “What’s wrong?”

He released her but didn’t move away. “I may not be dead, Vextressa,” he said with a wry smile, tracing a finger along her jawline, “But I’m not young. Are you sure our dire situation hasn’t influenced your feelings?”

She huffed in frustration. “How could I be sure of that? I don’t live outside my own senses.” She looked down at the floor and back into his face. “And for all your talk of being ‘not young’ you managed to lift me onto this table with very little effort.” She swung her feet, which were dangling a foot or so off the floor to illustrate her point. “You’d be hard pressed to convince me you are infirm.”

He grinned. “I was possessed of a mighty motivation.”

Vex stuck her tongue out at him briefly. “How about you motivate yourself to help me off this table?”

But she grabbed his hands when he made to lift her again, bringing them into her lap. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing I would like more than to climb you like a tree and kiss you until you can’t think.” She sighed. “But. I don’t want to pressure you, or make you do anything you aren’t sure of.”

“Vextressa…”

She overrode him with a smirk. “Even though you started it, you rapscallion. I’m willing to play the hero once again and withdraw.”

His eyebrows arched playfully. “I’m a rapscallion, you say?” He freed his hands from her grasp and slid them along her thighs to grasp her hips again, pulling her into him hard enough to elicit a moan as her knees clamped around him. He caught her mouth with his for a moment, then whispered against her lips. “If this is truly what you want, I would be a madman to retreat. The only question is whether I can get you upstairs before I lose control.”

She grinned at him lasciviously, her eyes hooded as she reached down, fingers exploring the evidence of his complete lack of infirmity. At her touch his eyes rolled back for a moment. When he returned her gaze once again he was grinning toothily, eyes dark with desire. “Gods, woman.”

Her hands tangled themselves into his hair and she wriggled against him. “Do your worst, old man.”

Within a moment he had lifted her off the table, hands grasping her buttocks as she locked her legs around him. They kissed hungrily as he climbed the stairs to his quarters above the workshop, and one small murky part of her brain wondered how he managed to steer them at all.

They reached their destination and he set her down on the bed, pausing to shrug off his shirt before laying down beside her. She started to unbutton her loose shirt but he placed a hand on hers to stop her.

“Let me.”

He straddled her and slowly undid the buttons on her shirt, gently pulling it out of her trousers until her breasts and midsection were exposed to his gaze. She hadn’t planned on this turn of events and was still wearing her heavy boots, but she didn’t try to rush him. His hands slid up her ribcage to cup her breasts for a moment, making her writhe under him.

“Cid. You cruel bastard.” 

He teased her nipples with his calloused thumbs. “That’s the third name you’ve called me tonight.” His hands moved to bury themselves in her hair as he bent down to seize her mouth in a hard kiss.  
“I’d like to see how many names you call me before the end of the night,” he growled into her mouth.

Gods, how she wanted him. But he was determined to take things slow, damn his self control. He kissed his way down her neck, to her sternum, every so often swiping his tongue across her skin. She let out a low noise that was half purr half growl as he reached her midsection, taking his time. It was all she could do to stay where she was and not throw him to the bed and tear both their clothes off. Her skin was prickling with sensation, and when he gently bit her hip she nearly screamed with frustration.

When had he managed to get her pants and boots off? Except for the shirt and vest that still hung about her arms she was naked before him. The half of her tail that wasn’t pinned under her swished, but it wasn’t anger moving it this time. He grinned and twirled it through his fingers before turning his attention back to his torture.

She arched her back and clenched the sheets in her fingers as she felt his beard scrape against her inner thigh.

“Bastard.” She groaned. 

There was his tongue flicking across her thigh, so close to where she wanted it to be. “You used that one already. Find another.”

Shaking, half-mad with desire, she searched her mind. Anything to convince him to continue. “Godsdamned pirate. Oh!” She stopped short as he pushed her legs further apart until she was completely open to him. “Brute.”

“Better,” he purred and kissed her inner thigh again.

Every part of her was screaming to beg him end her agony and just take her. She whimpered, biting back the words.

“’Do your worst’ you said,” his voice came melodically to her ears as if reading her mind. “I intend to.”

How was he holding onto his reason and being so confoundedly measured with his attentions?

A surprised groan escaped her when he finally, finally swept his tongue into the wet center of her. “Good-for-nothing reprobate,” she managed to bite out as he ravished her with his tongue.

His fingers dug into her thighs, eliciting another moan. Her body was on fire from the touch of this man. She’d thought about what it would be like, to be with Cid the man instead of the engineer. But what he was doing to her she couldn’t have conceived of. Moments later she heard herself begging, pleading with him to stop, not stop, take her, keep going… even she couldn’t keep track of all the things she wanted him to do. Every muscle in her body was taut. “Cid,” she moaned, a death grip on the sheets.

He didn’t answer. Instead he released his hold on a thigh and withdrew his tongue, nearly making her sob with disappointment. She was only bereft for a moment until he slid two fingers inside her, thrusting while he used his thumb to stroke her until she arched her back and nearly screamed as an orgasm crashed into her. She bit her lip so hard her sharp teeth may have drawn blood, sensations washing over her that left her gasping and shaking.

In her hazy awareness she felt him withdraw and lie beside her again. She keened his name and finally came to her senses, looking at him with what she could only assume was a dumbfounded expression.

“Vextressa,” he purred and kissed her, gathering her languid body into his arms. “What am I now?”

“Evil, evil creature,” she murmured, curling herself into his body. “Make love to me, please. Please, Cid.”

“After all that,” he whispered, stroking her sensitive ears, “You’ve not had enough?”

She sat bolt upright in the bed, spearing him with a glare. Her eyes traveled the length of him, his chest slightly damp with sweat. His trousers most egregiously still in place. The teasing look he fixed her with. She shrugged out of the shirt still hanging from her shoulders and slid her fingers under his waistline, eliciting a soft moan. She wasn’t an idiot, his pants weren’t thick enough to hide his desire for her.

“Master Garlond, if you don’t take these off at once and do what your body clearly wants you to, I will throw you across this room straight into the wall.” She sniffed with as much sarcastic dignity as she could muster. “And you know I can.”

If there was one thing age had given him, it was an infuriating level of patience. He smirked at her and folded his arms behind his head. “Kiss me. And I’ll think about it.”

She eyed his mouth. “Tyrant,” she breathed and bent down, her hair falling over her shoulder. When it touched his chest he hissed, the only indication so far that she had any power over him. She kissed him languorously, her tongue flicking between his lips and teeth. He groaned but didn’t move at first, enjoying her touch as she splayed her hands across his chest. “Don’t think too long.”

He didn’t. After a few moments he grabbed her shoulder and pressed her back down onto the bed, standing up to survey her. His eyes glittered as he kicked off his remaining garments. “You’re so beautiful. Watching your pleasure was watching beauty come further into being.”

“I haven’t seen yours,” she breathed, watching him intently. Standing before her, she thought him the most exquisite sight she’d ever seen. “Let me give it to you, please.”

She stretched suggestively, and for a moment his rock solid composure couldn’t fool her as fire flicked across his eyes. He lowered himself back down to the bed, resting atop her gently and nestling his cock between her thighs as she shivered. She bit her lip to stop a plea from escaping. She’d just had a nearly back-breaking orgasm but it wasn’t enough, not with him. But she’d learned to wait. He shifted, pulling her head back so he could caress her neck with his lips as he slowly, so achingly slowly nudged against her body seeking entrance. 

“Your pleasure is mine,” he whispered against her neck, “Tell me. Tell me you want me.”

“Yes,” she breathed, tilting her hips to allow him easier access. “I want you. I need you. Please, Cid.”

The sound of her crooning his name seemed to strike a chord and he let out a guttural sound, sliding into her with more urgency than he’d yet shown as she locked her legs around him. She cried out softly as she felt herself expand to encompass him. Her fingers clutched his shoulders and she moaned his name again as he began to move, evoking a new sound with every thrust. Gods how she needed him, needed to hear the soft groans that issued from his throat as he filled her again and again.

“I love the sounds you make,” his voice rasped to reach her entranced mind. “What am I now?”

“Everything.” The word escaped her lips before she could stop it.

The continued that way for a time, trading kisses and moans until even his control wore down. His movements were more frenetic now and he pinned her hands above her head as he thrust into her.

“Where are you now?” he demanded.

“With you.” She didn’t want to beg him again, but he teased such sensations out of her it was nearly inevitable. “Please, Cid.”

Her plea seemed to touch him and he buried his face in her shoulder, kissing and biting as his movements quickened again. The feel of his lips and teeth sent her into a spiral of aching need and she clutched him, keening his name until he seized her mouth in a hard kiss. His teeth scored her lower lip and he moaned. “Gods. Gods, Vextressa.”

The sound of her name did her in, along with his mouth and body against hers. Her breath hitched and she threw her head back as she came, bringing him with her over the edge. He shuddered and it was his turn to clutch her like a lifeline as he rode out the pleasure of his orgasm.

They lay there for a few moments, tangled limbs in tangled sheets. “I never thought I’d have this again,” he murmured, slipping out of her to rest on his side. He gazed at her intently.

She stared back at him, mismatched eyes taking his measure. Was he pleased? Did he have regrets? It didn’t seem so.

“Still want to throw me across the room?” he smirked at her.

“I’m sure I will, but later.” She grinned and nestled into his body again. “For now, though. I intend to fall asleep in your arms and deal with tomorrow as it comes.”

“That,” he said, gathering her close and pulling a discarded blanket over the both of them. “Is an excellent plan.”


End file.
